Report: Cycle Speedway Roundup
Week Ending 26th July 2009
Results and reports from the cycle speedway scene.
Premier League - Poole v Norwich
26th July 2009, Poole Cycle Speedway
Report: Graham Sutton
Poole 94 Norwich 81
An even and sportingly contested encounter before an appreciative crowd saw the result in doubt right down to the closing heats when the hosts finally seized the initiative with two late wins. Full credit to the Norfolk side with their strongest away line-up of the season which included Phil Howells and sprightly Dave Solomon - the latter ending the day as top scorer.
With Tom Reed injured, several squad members sidelined and flu victim Pete Young managing only two races before being forced to withdraw from the meeting, Poole drew heavily on the power of Artur Poprawski who inspired three vital heat wins on his way to a full maximum return...
Ian Grange led home hard charging Gavin Wheeler in the opener which was shared while Pete Young did well to hold off the challenging Stars in the next after Chris Roberts was ruled out at the tapes. A foretaste of what was to come from Artur Poprawski in a re-run heat 3 saw him race from last to first picking off Lee Cossey and Phil Howells and creating gaps for his partner Colin Wheeler in the process to calm home nerves with a maximum 7 - 3 return.
Gav Wheeler and Ben Donohue followed suit in heat 4 but Ian Grange and Dave Solomon worked a good 6 - 4 in the fifth heat to reduce the arrears to 5. Two shared heats followed with Phil Howells getting the better of Gav Wheeler in heat 7 before another Grange/Solomon 6 - 4 tightened the soreline to 41 - 38.
An over exuberant challenge by Nick Myhill on Artur Poprawski which sent both riders tumbling heavily ruled the Norwich rider out of a re-run heat 9 which produced a third staight win for the pacey Pole in a 6 - 3 Poole advantage to give an interval scoreline of 47 - 41. Race wins from Solomon and Howells after the break kept the visitors in touch until Nick Myhill tangled with Gav Wheeler in heat 12 and failed to complete the four laps as the hosts clinched another 6 - 3 win.
Convincing wins from Poprawski and home skipper Chris Roberts saw the scoreline advance to 73 - 64 with 4 heats remaining. Any thoughts of relaxing were short lived in the home side of the pits as a Ben Donohue tapes exclusion opened the door for a Norwich 6 - 3 as Nick Myhill recovered from a nightmare 3 rides, which produced only 2 points, to outpace Tom Colling.
The deficit was back to 6 and the visitors prepared for a late surge only to be thwarted when Richard Wliiamson shed a chain at the start line of heat 16. Artur Poprawski duly completed his maximum to generous applause and the home advantage was back to 9. Nick Myhill squeezed in another race win at the expense of the Wheeler/Roberts combination in the penultimate heat and with the score at 87-78 the excitement was over for the day...or so we thought.
Heat 18 provided one of those very special moments for Colin Wheeler, drafted in at short notice to replace teenage sensation Tom Reed. Just a day after his 65th birthday he featured in a classic 7 - 3 with fellow Saint Tom Colling as they oufoxed the powerful Grange/Howells duo in the race of the day which drew the crowd to its feet in appreciation......magical stuff!
Poole 94 Artur Poprawski 20, Gav Wheeler 15, Tom Colling 13, Colin Wheeler 12, Chris Roberts 11,Ben Donohue 9, Rob Haywood 7, Pete Young 7 (2 rides).
Norwich 81 Dave Solomon 15, Phil Howells 14, Ian Grange 14, Lee Grange 11, Nick Myhill 10, Richard Williamson 7, Craig Norton 5, Leigh Cossey 5.
Referee Richard Hughes.
Division 2
Poole 65 Norwich 62
If every Division 2 match was even half as good as this one, any doubts about the need for the competition would be dispelled forever! It was a classic encounter between two evenly balanced sides brimming with young talent as every heat was contested as if lives depended upon it. An early tapes offence by Sam Hearn enabled top of the table Norwich to claw a single point advantage up to heat 7 when Luke Armes made a similar error. James Wakefield and George Solomon capitalised fully with a 7 - 2 in the re-start despite pressure from Sam Hearn and with the score at 31 - 37 things looked bright for the visitors. Jake Williams and the highly impressive Arron Morgan hit straight back with a 7 -3 and the margin was back to 2 points which is where it stayed for the next 4 heats which were all shared.
Norwich had the advantage of inside grids in the nominated finale and opted for Kieron Parr and George Solomon while Poole unsurprisingly selected Jake Williams and Sam Hearn. A momentary lapse of concentration on the first bend by the Norwich pairing saw the Poole duo heading for a win until George Solomon was judged to have clipped over the inside line to launch an attack on Jake Williams leaving Kieron Parr to tackle the two home riders alone in the re-start. It proved just too much for him and Poole moved into the lead for the first and only time of the match to record an unlikely win with a Hearn/Williams 7 - 2. Full credit to both teams for their efforts as many "wise" heads around the track with more years in the sport than they would care to mention agreed that they had just seen the best combination match ever! Who could disagree?
Poole 65 Jake Williams 17, Arron Morgan 13, Sam Hearn 13, Leyton Glover 9, Luke Armes 9, Matthew Mildon 4, Jess Lamb dnr Matt Elston dnr
Norwich 62 Kieron Parr 16, James Wakefield 12, George Solomon 11, Barry Copping 10, Josh Colby 8, Liam Parker 5.
Referee Mike Legge
Midlands Individual Championships
25th July 2009, Bretford
Report: David Jewkes
U12s: Liam Johnson 11, Matt Haddock 10, Reanna Brindley 7, Ryan Harpin 6.
U15s: Matt Smith 17, Scott Millward 15, Jim Palmer 14, Joe Kemp 12, Ricky Johnson 9, Jordan Rich 8.
U18s: Paul Heard 20, Nathan Groves 19, Lee Smith 18, Dayle Peace 16, Matt Turley 13.
Due to the low entry levels in the U12s, U15s and U18s they were Combined and the category positions were determined by the highest placed in each age group.
VET: Mark Griffiths 15, Paul Timms 10, Phil Widdas 5.
OPEN: Marcus Wadhams 19, Lee Aris 18, Lukasz Nowacki 16, Mark Griffiths 15, Mark Winwood 15, Chris Timms 15, Chris Jewkes 14, Paul Heard 14, Nathan Groves 12, Sam Smith 12, Russ Evans 9, Matt Smith 9, Carl Winwood 8, Mark Fletcher 7.
Only three Vets entered and there was a short fall in the Open and so these two events were also combined with the positions in the Vets determined by the highest placed (Mark Griffiths had entered both events and payed the entry fees) he won the vets outright and finishing on 15pts with two other riders he went into a run off to see who picked up the 4th place trophy in the open and Griff won the run off!
The top 8 riders in the Open qualify to go through to the semi-finals of the brand new competition The Grand Prix of Great Britain to be staged at the East Park track on 19th September.
Northern Individual Championships
25th July 2009, Stockport Cycle Speedway Club
Report: Mike Hack
Stockport hosted the Northern Individual Championships on Saturday. Some fine racing took place on a fast track, across five different categories, with each event being won by a rider scoring maximum points.
Astley & Tyldesley's Adam Watson raced unbeaten in the U-10s category, scoring a maximum 16 points to take the title, finishing 4 points ahead of his nearest rival, Jake Wild of Stockport. A & T's Adam Turnbull finished in 3rd place, after scoring 11.
Result U-10
Adam Watson (A & T) 16, Jake Wild (Stockport) 12, Adam Turnbull (A & T) 11, Max Evans (A & T) 7, Tyler Koch (A & T) 4. Referee - Alan Farrell.
In the U-13s category, Stockport's Jake Read won, again with a maximum 16 points score. A & T's Adam Phillips scored 15 points to finish runner-up, with Stockport's Matt Turner a point behind in 3rd place.
Result U-13
Jake Read (Stockport) 16, Adam Phillips (A & T) 15, Matt Turner (Stockport) 14, Joe Pickford (Stockport) 13, Adam Watson (A & T) 12, James Carter (Stockport) 11, Tom Spencer (Bury) 10, Aaron Purton (Stoke) 9. Referee - Pete Ward.
Hull's Matt Beharrell won the U-16s category, with a 16 points maximum, ahead of Stockport duo of Ben Higham (15) and Dylan Radcliffe (14).
Result U-16
Matt Beharrell (Hull) 16, Ben Higham (Stockport) 15, Dylan Radcliffe (Stockport) 14, Mat Lush (Stockport) 12, Ben Swanborough (Hull) 12, Laura Watson (A & T) 11, Ali Lam (Stockport) 9. Referee - Alan Farrell.
In the U-19s category, Hull riders Adam Stephenson and Matt Beharrell, took 1st and 2nd places, after finishing with 16 and 15 points respectively. A & T's Ben Dickenson scored 14 points, to finish in 3rd place.
Result U-19
Adam Stephenson (Hull) 16, Matt Beharrell (Hull) 15, Ben Dickenson (A & T) 14, Lewis Aylmer (Hull) 13, Luke Jamson (A & T) 12, Kelvin Williams (Stoke) 11. Referee - Pete Ward.
Stoke's Lewis Bates made light of an unfavourable draw with two outside grids, to race to an impressive 20 points maximum to win the Senior title, leading every time at the first bend. There was a 3 rider run-off for 2nd place, with Hull's Matt Beharrell holding off the challenges of Sheffield's Dariusz Pilas to win the run-off, with Stoke's Richard Harrison the rider to miss out on a top three place. Sheffield's Pawel Kozlowski, the 2003 Northern Champion, had been in contention for a rostrum place, but was excluded in heat 20 for forcing Harrison off the track. The top eight riders from this event qualify for the Grand Prix of Gt. Britain, to be held at the East Park track in Wolverhampton in September.
Senior Result
Lewis Bates (Stoke) 20, Matt Beharrell (Hull) 16, Dariusz Pilas (Sheffield) 16, Richard Harrison (Stoke) 16, Terry Norman (Stockport) 15, Adam Stephenson (Hull) 14, Pawel Kozlowski (Sheffield) 14, Ben Higham (Stockport) 14, Simon Munden (Stoke) 12, Piotr Jamroszczyk (Sheffield) 11, Dylan Radcliffe (Stockport) 10, Errol Thaw (Stoke) 10, Chris Parish (Bury) 10, Ryan Hoyland (Sheffield) 9, Lewis Aylmer (Hull) 6. Referee - Mike Hack.
Premier League - Leicester v Gt Blakenham
26th July 2009, Leicester
Report: Tim Jarvis
Despite both teams being under strength this was an entertaining encounter ridden on a slightly difficult track due to recent heavy rain.
The Monarchs gradually built up a lead; Adam Stephenson featured in the only two maximums before the interval, firstly in heat five with veteran Steph Whitehead and repeated the feat in heat seven with Dan Pike.
The visitors claimed the insides after the interval but could never make inroads into the deficit.
Young Dan Osborne showed plenty of promise, Brooke, Peck and Lewis Osborne piled up the points but their team mates couldn't provide the support needed.
Leicester in contrast had every rider hit double figures apart from Steph Whitehead who won his only outing!
Craig Marchant started with four wins before a last in heat sixteen whilst unusually for him Lukasz Nowacki didn't win a race but did team ride his partners to two maximums.
Leicester 94 (C Marchant 17, L Nowacki 15+2, A Stephenson 14+3, D Pike 12, M Whitehead 12, N Whitehead 10+2, N Venson 10+2, S Whitehead 4)
Great Blakenham 81 (L Osborne 18, A Peck 17+1, D Osborne 15+2, J Brooke 15, J Day 6, L Mower 5, R Pyke 4, B Brooke 1)
Combination
With the visitors giving away a massive fifty penalty points and the Monarchs fielding a totally different set of riders this was never going to be a contest. However the racing was always interesting and the home team kept in touch with the visitor's powerhouse team.
Leicester 53 + 50 = 103 (L Whitehead 9, M Naylor 9, S Hartshorn 9)
Great Blakenham 77 (J Brooke 20, L Mower 15+4)
Premier League - Sheffield v Birmingham
26th July 2009, Sheffield Cycle Speedway Club
Report: Shaun Hudson | Images: Richard Hudson
The Premier League clash of the day lived up to all expectations with an excellent fixture between Sheffield and Birmingham. With the prospect of rain always likely it was good to get the first half of the match over in dry but cold conditions. Both sides had all their big guns out and the racing was always close and exciting.
The match started tentatively with the first two heats shared then Sheffield took a hard earned 6-4 courtesy of Burchardt and Jamroscky over Rycharski and Pearce. Heat 4 proved pivotal as new Midland Riders champion Marcus Wadhams was relegated to fourth place after a clever cut back by Ryan Hoyland saw him shoot into second place, team partner Pawel Kozlowski then kept the hard chasing Wadhams at bay.
Sheffield extended their lead in heat 5 with a maximum 7-3 courtesy of Smith and Birks who from the inside grids were just to fast for Timms and Evans, the next three heats were shared as new Northern League champion Lewis Bates continued his fine run of form for Birmingham by notching his second win of the day. A clever tactical move by Sheffield team manager Chris Turner saw Birks come in for a reserve ride just before the interval which resulted in a 6-4 heat advantage and a 8 point lead at the break.
The first heat after the interval was not for the faint hearted with Burchardt and Birks out for Sheffield and Bates and Waddhams for Birmingham. At the first attempt Burchardt was excluded for crossing the inside edge leaving Birks the unenviable task of splitting the Birmingham duo, Bates got away at the start and after a titanic struggle that saw Wadhams and Biks re pass each other a number of times a gap suddenly appeared for Birks to power up the inside of race leader Bates.
However Bates years of riding at the highest level stood him in good stead as he closed the door at the last second and Birks did well to stay on his machine and keep the ever pressing Wadhams still behind him. As the race concluded and Birmingham took a 6-3 heat advantage the riders received generous applause from the large crowd for their efforts.
The following heat saw Sheffield hit straight back with a 6-4 from the hard working Andy Angell and Piotr Jamroscyk to restore a 7 point lead, with the next couple of races shared the real break through came in heat
14 when Angel and Hoyland combined for a maximum 7-3 over Heard and Evans. Now 11 points up the Sheffield supporters may have thought the Stars were home and dry however Wadhams and Rycharski had different ideas and Pilas and Birks could do little to stop the Birmingham riders romping to their first maximum of the match.
Nerves were settled in the following race when Jamroscky and Hoyland in for a reserve ride took an all important 6-4 and Lewis Bates dropped his first point to the fast gating Jamroscky, with the next heat shared Sheffield were now in an unbeatable position and Pilas stepped down for the final heat to allow the flying Birks an extra ride.
A brilliant final race saw Birks take the win however the Birmingham duo of Timms and Pearce did very well to relegate Burchardt to the back after 4 laps of top draw Cycle Speedway. An appreciative crowd applauded loudly for what had been a really great meeting rode in a hard but sporting manner by two teams at the top of their game.
One rider who turned in yet another solid performance was Pawel Kozlowski, his 16+1 score was earned the hard way and Pawel as usual was the real " engine room " of the Sheffield team. If I had to pick a man of the match, I would be hard pushed to do so as every rider contributed to making this an enthralling fixture.
Premier League Result
Sheffield 94 Pawel Kozlowski 16+1, Jono Birks 16+1, Piotr Jamroszyk 13+1, Andy Angell
12+3, Dariusz Pilas 11, Remi Burchardt 10+1, Lee Smith 8+1, Ryan Hoyland
8+1
Birmingham 85 Lewis Bates 18, Dominic Rycharski 15+1, Paul Heard 13, Chris Timms 11+2,
Marcus Wadhams 11, Gary Pearce 10, Errol Thaw 5+1, Russ Evans 2
Combination Match Result
Sheffield 38 Aidan Wylde 9, Liam Webster 8, Richard Hudson 8, Kyle Brough 5, Amber
Webster 4, Chris Bingham 2, Jeb Knight 2
Birmingham 91 Mark Fletcher 15+1, Nathan Groves 15+1, Carl Winwood 14+2, Andy James
14+2, Mark Winwood 13+3 Tom Sensical 12+4, Phil Widdas 8
Premier League - Wednesfield v Horspath
26th July 2009, Wednesfield
Premier League Result
Wednesfield 84: Lee Aris 19+1 Terry Norman 18 Chris Jewkes 15 Scott Doherty 10+1 Roger Cox 9+1 Dayle Peace 5 Sam Smith 5 Mick Aris 3.
Horspath 92: Raafal Dulinski 18 Mark Boaler 14+3 Dave Carmichael 12+3 Mike Morgans 11+3 Steve Harris 11+2 Przemek Binkowski 11+1 Mark Carmichael 10 Mike Burgess 5.
Combination Result
Wednesfield 83: Matt Turley 15+1 Liam Johnson 15+1 John Russell 12 Mick Aris 11+1 Jordan Rich 9+3 Wayne Aris 8+2 Charlie Ellitts 7 Reanna Brindley 6+2.
Horspath 46: Rachael Edge 10+1 Jack Smith 9 Callum Russell/Sharp 8 Jordan Richardson 7 Jenna Cosh 6 George Horseley 3 Olivia Horseley 3.
Midland Combination - Wednesfield v Bretford
25th July 2009, Wednesfield
Result
Wednesfield 62: John Russell 14 Wayne Aris 12+1 James Harriman 10 Reanna Brindley 8+2 Sharna Cox 6+1 Ryan Harpin 6 Alex Aris 4+1 Courtney Aris 2.
Bretford 66: Joe Dominy 20 Joe Kemp 17 Niall Clever 10 Dan Price 8 Callum Thomas 6+2 Scott Price 5.
